Page 20 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 J& $45 yd. S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. MULCH SALE! Discount Spring Special PICK-UP or DELIVERY AVAILABLE 617-389-1490 Premium Hemlock or Pitch Black BELOW WHOLESALE COSTS LANDSCAPERS WELCOME $4 yd. $40 yd. $3 yd. Mayor announces Juneteenth celebration M ayor Carlo DeMaria recently announced that the City of Everett, in collaboration with the North Shore Juneteenth Association, Inc., will be raising the Juneteenth Flag on Thursday, June 17 at 11 a.m. outside City Hall at the corner of Broadway and Church Street. “Juneteenth is an important day for members of our community,” said DeMaria. “The Juneteenth Flag represents the ending of slavery in America and I am proud to raise this flag. The City of Everett is committed to being inclusive and embracing traditions from all cultures in our community.” Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom and achievement, and the City of Everett is honored to host this year’s ceremony with the North Shore Juneteenth Association. In addition to DeMaria, speakers will include Nicole McClain, who is president of the North Shore Juneteenth Association; State Senator Sal DiDomenico, State Representative Joseph McGonagle and Bishop Robert Brown, who is senior pastor of Zion Church Ministries. There will also be a performance by Phunk Phenomenon. All members of the community are welcomed to attend. Refreshments will be CELEBRATION | SEE PAGE 21 BUDGET | FROM PAGE 3 be expanded at the Webster and Madeline English Schools. Therefore, neither school will have an “opt-out” designation going forward. “This budget is heavily focused on improving student outcomes,” said Jayanth. Ward 1 Councillor Fred Capone noted that the individual cost of educating each student is $14,682. In contrast, the state average is $16,583. “We’re below the state average per pupil,” he said. It’s a difficult thing to see. Investing in our students is one of the best things you can do for our collective futures.” Ward 5 Councillor Rosa DiFlorio also spoke about the shortfall in per pupil funding. “We have to give every child what they need, not what they want, and I’m sorry for that,” she said. In addition, Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani was able to lay two other matters to rest. She said no employee has received a 30 percent raise and that no external company was hired to craft the budget. “That was created by us,” she said. School Committee Chairman Frank Parker said personnel policies have also improved. “The prior practice was if you had a personal day, if you had something planned, you had to call into the building the morning of your planned personal day to see if you could still take it off,” he said, adding that employees could be denied that time at the last minute. “Now we have more personal days and they really are personal days.” Although this year’s budget represents an increase of nearly 11 percent over last year, Parker said, the cost of a level-funded budget goes up by an average of three percent a year. “If we’re getting three percent, we’re staying even,” he said.
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